Everything you need to know to cut that awkwardly shaped rhizome into slices, matchsticks, and dice.

If you're staring at a knobby, thick-skinned piece of rhizome and wondering how to cut ginger, look no further—I've got your back. Fresh ginger adds its signature spicy, earthy flavor to soups, salads, stir-fries, risotto,desserts, and more, but you have to know how to cut ginger before you can use it. Don't be intimidated by all the nooks and crannies and funny shapes of fresh ginger though—you can easily tame it into aromatic slices and easy-to-use small dice with the help of a spoon and a sharp knife. I'll show you exactly how—just follow the steps below.

A spoon is hands-down the easiest way to peel ginger without hurting any fingers.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi

1. Peel it With a Spoon (Yes, a Spoon)

Before you start cutting fresh ginger, you have to peel it—that thick brown peel is no fun to eat. Because of the weird shape of ginger, the easiest way to peel it is not with a peeler or a knife, but with a small spoon. Yes, ginger skin is annoying to eat, but its thin enough to yield easily to the metal edge of a spoon. Hold the spoon sideways in your dominant hand, and hold the ginger in the other hand, then scrape the side of the spoon across the surface of the ginger. Work all the way around the ginger and between all the arms, armpits, and around all the bends until all the skin is scraped off. A spoon with a sharp edge rather than a rounded edge works best, and you don't need to apply too much pressure—let the spoon do the work for you.

At this point you can either use a grater or a microplane to grate the ginger if that's what your recipe calls for, or you can cut it up following the instructions below.

You have to cut it into planks first, then cut those planks into thin matchsticks.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi

2. Slice it into Planks

Turn your peeled piece of ginger so it's vertical in front of you, then use a sharp chef's knife to slice it lengthwise into thick planks. If you're using the ginger to infuse a broth or a syrup or milk with flavor, you'll want to stop at this stage.

3. Then Slice Each Plank Into Matchsticks

To make matchsticks, keep going: Stack your planks on top of each other in a neat pile, then slice them lengthwise into thin matchsticks. This stage is also called julienne, and you can use the ginger like this for sautéed vegetables or stir-fries where you want distinct pieces of ginger.

4. Slice Across The Matchsticks to Mince

To mince your ginger evenly, line up those matchsticks up in a horizontal row in front of you and cut crosswise to create a super-small dice, aka minced ginger. When a recipe calls for "finely chopped" ginger, this is what they mean, and it's how you want your ginger chopped to use as an aromatic base in soup or risotto, or to stir into some sautéed vegetables when you don't want distinct pieces of ginger.

Watch out for your fingers: keep your left hand in a claw shape to avoid slicing the tips of your fingers off as you dice and slice.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi

Now that you know how to cut ginger, you can add it to anything for a punch of spicy flavor. Need some more ideas for how to use it? Check out these recipes: